Women's T20 World Cup: Harmanpreet to lead side, Richa Ghosh included

The BCCI Selection Committee has announced India’s 15-member T20 squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia with Harmanpreet Kaur leading the side.

The Indian team has made the semifinals of the Women's T20 World Cup thrice, but has never gone past that stage.

Bengal’s young batswoman Richa Ghosh was the only surprise element in the 15-member India’s women’s cricket squad, which will feature in the T20 World Cup in Australia next month.

On Sunday, the five-member national selection committee rewarded the 16-year-old batswoman, who hails from Siliguri, for her consistent performances at the domestic level.

The selectors were also impressed with her approach and style of play in the recently concluded Challengers Trophy. Featuring for the India B side, Ghosh played two important knocks of 25 and 36, showing her mental toughness in crunch situations.

“In the past one year, we have included five to six debutants. Earlier the same team used to play, but now after 2017 World Cup, a lot of new prospects have emerged and we feel we have nurtured five to six players, who are playing now. Richa Ghosh is a new player and the role of selectors (has increased),” chief of the selection panel, Hemlata Kala, said.

While the chief selector is confident about the team’s chances in the tournament, captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes that execution will be the key to success.

“It is always about how you execute yourself. We did not execute on what we were expecting from ourselves (in the first half in 2019). But against South Africa and West Indies, we played to our potential and that is the reason we were able to get positive result and that is what we are looking at the World Cup,” Harmanpreet said.

Prior to the World Cup, the team will feature in a tri-series involving England and Australia in Canberra from January 31.

“Before the World Cup we are getting the tri-series and that platform where we have to execute ourselves and if we are able to give our 100 per cent, it will be good for us. We have a very good combination this time and I am looking positive and looking for good cricket,” the India captain said.

The Squad

For World T20: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Richa Ghosh, Taniya Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Radhav Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy.

 

For the Tri-series:  Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Richa Ghosh, Taniya Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy and Nusat Parveen.